Cannes: Osage tribal leader says Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio ‘restored confidence’ with ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Martin Scorsese got perhaps the brightest approval of his latest film The flower moon killers at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Apple TV+ feature film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, explores a series of murders of members of the oil-rich indigenous Osage nation in the 1920s, uncovering the betrayal of the community faced by white outsiders and the investigation of the ‘FBI that eventually unearthed the killers.

Speaking at a press conference for the film festival on Sunday, Chief Standing Bear – leader of the Osage Nation – said his people are still “suffering” today.

“But I can say on behalf of Osage Nation that Scorsese and his team have restored trust,” he said.

The night before, the Apple TV+ film bowed to an enthusiastic reception at the Palais, the audience rose to a 9-minute standing ovation, among the longest at the festival so far.

Scorsese has spoken about how profoundly his encounters with Osage tribal leaders influenced his creative process.

“I understood when I heard what their values ​​are about love, respect and love for the land – and I’m not talking about turning this into a political issue; I’m really talking about living on this planet — it refocused me every time I heard it,” Scorsese said.

“I wanted to know everything I could about the Osage,” he explained. “It’s overwhelming… The more I discovered, the more I wanted to insert.”

Standing Bear added that there were Osage youth working behind the cameras on the film in various departments, and also expressed his admiration for the work ethic of the top-notch cast.

The specter of Donald Trump also made an unlikely appearance at the press conference. The former president and potential candidate in the 2024 election was quoted by Robert De Niro, who drew parallels between the political figure and the character he plays Assassins, a man who poses as an ally of the oil-rich Osage Nation in the 1920s only to betray them and oversee a series of brutal assassinations in his quest for wealth. “We see him today and you know who I’m talking about, but I won’t say his name,” De Niro said. “That boy is stupid.”

“It’s there and we have to keep an eye on it,” De Niro added, referring to the evil that lurks in everyday white supremacy.

He continued: “There are people who think Trump can do a good job. He imagines how crazy he is.

Reflecting on happier thoughts, De Niro noted that the last time he was at the festival with Scorsese was with Taxi driver in 1976. Taxi driverobviously, La Palma would win.